A New Beginning
by ForTheGloryOfSparta
Summary: The countries are all disolved, and the personifications get a chance at a normal, human life. But with these beings, it seems like the good things never last. What happens when their past comes back to haunt them, even after they left the life of a Nation behind. Can they ever really leave for good?
1. Prologue

_**A/N: So, here it is, the first chapter of the rewrite. I hope it is better, and I hope you enjoy it. I hope to have the next chapter up by new years. If you have time, I would love to hear your thoughts of the new version in a review. Enjoy and Merry Christmas**_

All of the nations of the world sat around a clear glass table. No one made a sound. No one made eye contact. No one moved a muscle. Everyone looked drained. England sat, staring at the blank, white wall. Japan stared at a small paper crane resting in his hand. Even Prussia merely observed the little yellow bird before him.

After several long minutes of this, America stood up, muttering, "Well, I was always good at filling the silence, why would now be any different?" He sighed. "Well, friends, we hoped the day would never come, but alas, here it is. Our leaders have decided to dissolve the boarders. Their meeting is just beginning now, they are all gathered in the UN building in New York, signing contracts, shaking hands, celebrating the beginning of a new age. Judging by my calculations, we have about three hours. Then we will no longer represent anything, and we will fade. I think. Don't really know."

"Oh, you won't fade. Not yet." Said a deep voice from the door way. All of the nations turned their attention from America to the two figures standing in the threshold. One was a man if full Roman garb, a _gladius _sheathed at his left hip. He was holding a large stone tablet. Next to him stood a beautiful young woman, dressed in a floor length, regal looking, light purple Chiton.

"Mother?" Greece, fully awake and alert, whispered, looking in shock at the woman before him.

"_Papa?"_ The two halves of Italy cried in unison.

The two ancient nations smiled lovingly at their off-spring, then turned their attention to the rest of the room. "You all are not coming to join us yet," announced ancient Greece.

Rome nodded, "No, you will first be given a chance to live a normal, human life. We decided that it was only fair. You did not fall, you were not conquered. This was out of your hands completely. It is your turn to settle down and do what you want for once, not what your boss or your nation wants you to do."

The younger nations looked at each other with wonder. A new chance at a normal existence? It seemed too good. Some of the nations weren't even sure they wanted it. Their past would haunt them for the rest of their lives.

As if reading their minds, Ancient Greece added, "Some of you have dark pasts, and have no desire to have it looming over you for the rest of your human life. We are here, not just to tell you what will happen, but also to offer you a choice. To remember or not to remember, that is the question. You get to pick. If you want to, you can choose to forget about your entire existence as a nation. You will forget everyone you ever knew in this life and will start off with a new slate. If you want to, however, you can choose to remember all of this. Know though, that if you choose to remember, you must never speak of it to any one. Ever. Except other nations that choose to remember, that is."

Rome looked at all of the nations facing this decision with sympathy, "These are your options. I know it is a big decision to make so quickly, but you must. The final papers will be signed in a few hours and then you will fall into a deep sleep while your body becomes fully human. We must return to where we came from very soon and we must know your choice."

The nations were completely silent, absorbing the information. They had so many questions and not nearly enough time. It seemed to be silently communicated that they would just choose and see what happened.

And so it began. The nations made their choices. For some, it was easy, for others it was the most difficult design they had faced, even after all of those years as a country. As soon as they made a final decision, their name appeared on the tablet Rome was carrying. As soon as he saw the last name, Denmark, appear on his tablet he looked up again. He made eye contact with every single one of the nations gathered around the glass table before giving a sad smile and giving some parting words, "Good-bye, children, and good luck. We will see you in the years to come."

As they departed, several bottles of champagne materialized on the table. France gave a crooked smile, and reached for the drink and a glass. He poured himself a glass and leaned back in his black leather seat. He sighed, "Might as well enjoy myself."

Belgium gave a sad laugh and followed suit. Slowly, one by one, all of the nation poured themselves a glass and relaxed. Everyone realized it was their way of showing acceptance. As they finished, they set their glasses on the table and, one at a time, fell asleep, ready for the next adventure.


	2. Chapter 1

_**A/N: Hey guys, Chapter two! Happy new Hetalia Animation day! Doesn't it look fantastic. It also happens to be my birthday today, so that was a pretty awesome present if I do say so myself.**_

_**Enjoy!**_

2 years after

What used to be...

London, England

"Peter! Are you ready for school! What is taking you so long this morning! I have to get to work, I have a class second period!" Arthur, who was once known as the United kingdom of Great Britain and Norther Ireland, called up the stairs of the tutor style house, worried about being late for his first world history class. A fifteen year old Peter, formerly known as Sealand came running down the stairs.

Arthur watched as he reached the kitchen, surprised to see what he held in his hands. A blue and white sailors hat. Arthur was hit with memories of the same little boy running around with the same little hat on, begging to be recognized as a nation. Of course, he wouldn't recall any of those times, but Arthur could, and he cherished those memories more than anything else in the world.

"I found this on a high shelf in my closet, and it just seemed really familiar. I have to ask, was it mine? You know, before…."

He was, of course referring to the accident that Arthur told him he had. He felt bad lying, but he could not think of another way to explain to the then-twelve-year-old why he could not remember anything regarding the beginning of his life.

When Rome informed the nations of their choice several years ago, England had chosen to remember. Despite the hardships that he had endured in his centuries as a nations, he loved those years. They taught him things that a human would never learn in it's short existence, and those years yielded relationships that he was not willing to give up.

Sealand, on the other hand, thought that there was no reason to bother remembering. He was never anything great in his years as a micro-nation, but, in those long years spent as a child, he witnessed things that would inter fear with a normal childhood. And honestly, that was all he wanted. To be normal, to be excepted.

One thing Rome had forgotten to mention was that those who had chosen to forget would automatically be placed in a situation that ensured their safety. That was how Sealand, now Peter, ended up Arthur's son. At first, Arthur was uncertain about the arrangement, but he had grown to love the boy as his own, carrying the burden of his past so that he wouldn't have to.

"Yes, it was yours," Arthur answered in response to his pervious question regarding the hat. He started walking towards the car as he continued, "You loved that hat, never went anywhere with out it. I remember, I was at a conference once with Alfred and you lost your hat. You were fairly young at the time, and you had the determination only a child could find. Throughout the entire meeting, you were looking. Made everyone show you their hands to make sure they didn't take it, and finally found that your Uncle Scott hid it. You were so mad at him…" Arthur trailed off, lost in the memory. After a moment, he gave his head a fond shake and started the engine.

The drive to Peter's high school was short, and as Arthur watched his, former brother, present son climb out with a quick, "See you later, dad. Thanks for the ride," he couldn't help think of how his life had changed. Up until two years ago, he would have scoffed at the idea of Peter even thinking of him as family. Now, he was Peter's father and he was happy because of it. It occurred to him, that he had forgotten in his years as a nation what family meant. As a country, family was never permanent. Peter taught him about the pure love that comes from having a lasting family, something he was never allowed to experience as a nation. _I suppose you never really stop learning, _he thought as he drove away.

_**Alright, so last chapter I got several new follows, thank you for those! However, no reviews. If you liked it, tell me why. If not, tell me what I could do better. Please leave a review! I have the next chapter ready, but I don't really want to post it until I get at least a bit of feed-back. Thank you for reading!**_


	3. Chapter 2

**_A/N: Thank you so much to those of you who reviewed, JapanFangirl talktoJapanandDIE and Leo et Lab. You guys are the best. Here is Chapter 2, enjoy._**

7 years after

New York City, America

Alfred, who was once the infallible nation of America, let out a surprised yelp as he slipped and hit the floor, hard. His brother, Matthew, previously Canada, ran into the entry way from the kitchen. Seeing his brother lying on the floor, he shook his head, muttering, "What did I tell you about snowy boots, Al?"

Alfred looked up sheepishly at his brother, "Don't leave them in the middle of the floor because the snow melts and becomes water…" He looked back down at the boots lying in a small puddle. Matthew tried to help him up, but he groaned when he tried to move his left leg.

"Damn, I think I broke it," He grumbled.

Matthew couldn't help laughing, "See Al, this is why we listen to our responsible younger brothers." He helped Al up, letting Al use him for balance, "Come on, I will drive you to the hospital, let me just grab my laptop."

A twenty minute car ride and lots of complaining later, Alfred and Matthew found themselves in the ER. Al checked in and then sat down next to Matthew, who was already typing furiously at his computer. "How's the new novel coming?" Alfred asked.

"Not bad at all actually. I have a deadline to meet though. I am writing about the Cold War at the moment. Man, you and Russ- I mean Ivan, were ready to rip each other's throats out."

After the event seven years ago, both of the North American brothers chose to keep their memories. Alfred had gotten a job as an Architect (This sparked a lot of surprise, due to the amount of math and science this requires. Turns out Al can be smart when he wants to), and Matt had started writing "historical fiction" novels about the countries and their personification. They were hugely popular.

Nearly an hour and a half later, Alfred was called in for an x-ray and then told to wait for the doctor. Several minutes later, Al heard the door open again and was absolutely flabbergasted to see who stood before him. The man looked a little different than he remembered, but it was unmistakably him.

"Good afternoon, Alfred. I am Doctor Ivan Braginski, da~"

Alfred shook his head in effort to clear it, "Hello sir, nice to…. meet you."

All those years ago, Ivan, who was once Russia, unsurprisingly chose to loose his memories and begin afresh. Looking at him, Alfred could see that his mind was much clearer than it ever was when he was a nation. The haunted look that always lingered in his eyes, and the aura of insanity that used to surround him had dissipated, leaving a perfectly happy man. A happy man who was now Alfred's doctor.

Doctor Braginski inspected Al's leg and confirmed that it was, in fact, broken. As Ivan casted his leg, he asked Al if he had a ride home.

Alfred responded, "Yeah, my little brother is sitting in the waiting room still."

"Ah, brothers, good to have, da~"

Knowing the answer already, Al asked "Do you have any brothers?"

Ivan looked at him and smiled, "Da, I have three little brothers, a little sister, and an older sister. Unfortunately, my sisters, my youngest brother, Ravis, and I were all involved in a serious accident about seven years ago. All of us have sever amnesia and can't remember anything from before it. Two of my brothers, Eduard and Toris,were still at home and helped us adjust after."

"Oh, Eduard and Toris Braginski, I know them. We are business partners. I am an architect and they are often the investors I work with when beginning a new project." It was true that several of the countries who chose to remember chose to work closely with one and other. He knew that Russia, Lithuania, Lativia, Estonia, Belarus, and Ukraine still lived together, as the countries who chose to remember often held meetings to catch up on human life. Lithuania and Estonia were the only ones who ever came. The rest don't remember.

Ivan smiled, and Alfred realized it was the first time that smile seemed happy. "I will tell them that I saw you today, then," Ivan replied.

"Please do." Alfred smiled back. Ivan finished wrapping Al's leg and let the cast sit for a moment before letting him go.

As Al walked into the waiting room, he saw Matthew still typing away furiously at his computer. He looked up as Alfred got closer, "Defiantly broken, huh," he said, more of a statement than a question.

Al waved his hand at the comment, "Yeah, yeah, but that doesn't matter. You will never guess who my doctor was…"

**Reviews yield more chapters!**


	4. Chapter 3

**A/N: Sorry about the wait ladies and gentlemen. Winter break has come to an end, and now it is review week and next is finals week, so it might be two weeks until your next update. So sorry. I will try to get one up on sunday, but I don't know. I will try. **

**I got a review about a conflict, and I would like to say, that there will be one, but there are going to be a few more chapters like this first.**

**I like this chapter, but I also don't. So tell me, please, what you think. Review!**

Bern, Switzerland

"Big brother?"

Vash, who was once Switzerland, looked up at the sound of his little sister's meek voice. Lili, once known as the little nation of Liechtenstein, stood before him with a small, red purse hanging off her shoulder. He raised his eyebrows, indicating that she had his attention.

"We are out of chocolate," she stammered quietly. "Can we go to the super market?"

Vash thought for a moment. He recalled that they were nearly out of milk and eggs as well. They could use some more bread and cheese. He realized that a trip to the super market is very much in order.

"Sure. We will go now." He smiled slightly. He has been trying to do that more ever since his life time was limited. Lili picked up a red hair brush and quickly ran it through her long hair. She had chosen to grow it out again several years ago.

Both Vash and Lili chose to keep their memories seven years ago. There was no reason to forget. The two of them had a rather uneventful existence as the personification of their countries, and they felt like they would only be losing the wisdom that hundreds of years of life brings.

Moments later, the two were in the car, driving away from their little swiss cottage (Despite the amount of money Vash owns, Vash and Lili enjoy living simplistically). The car pulled up to the super market less than twenty minutes later. It did not take long for siblings to pick out the milk, the eggs, the bread and the chocolate, however, when buying the cheese, Vash and Lili were both hit by a phenomenal sense of Deja Vu. When reaching for the cheese, a familiar voice came from behind him, "You know, the brand two to the right of that one is much better. A little more expensive, but it makes up for it in flavor."

Vash whirled around, and he found himself faced with a familiar face. Roderich, who was once Austria stood before him with a small smile on his face. The two of them were not the best of friends at the end of their days as nations, so they did not bother to keep in touch afterwards; However, both of the men retained their memories and saw each other at the periodic meeting for ex-nations.

"Roderich, nice to see you again."

He smiled, "You too. It has been a while, no? Couple months at least."

"Yeah, five or six…" There was an awkward pause. It was obvious to Vash that Roderich was having a short debate with himself. suddenly, his face became determined. He looked at Vash again and asked, "Would you come to lunch with me?"

Vash was slightly surprised by the invitation. Needless to say, their last lunch hadn't gone so well. Lili looked up at her brother through her bangs and murmured happily, "Why not bruder?"

Even after all these years, he was not able to deny her. He looked at the dark haired man before him. "Sure," he agreed.

-Line Break-

The lunch was surprisingly nice, and Vash and Roderich even agreed to split the bill. They made arrangements to meet for lunch again, and agreed that they should try to keep in touch more. It seems that, even after hundreds of years, there is still more to learn.

As the pair of siblings walked into their home, the neighbors on each side of his house were arguing.

"Vash! You are a reasonable man! Tell Mr. Makins that his fence is too high!" The man to his left shouted.

Before Mr. Makins had a chance to respond, Vash gave a small, nostalgic smile and laughed.

_And yet, even after all these years, some things never change, _He mused.

"Sorry," He said in a voice that gave the impression that he wasn't sorry at all, "I always have, always will, remain _strictly _neutral."

**Please Review!**


	5. Chapter 4

**A/N: PLEASE DO NOT SKIP. I will keep my apologies short because I have some actual stuff to tell you guys.**

**So first, yes, I am so so so so so sorry for not updating these past few weeks. I have had enough homework to sink an Cruise Liner. So Sorry about that. This chapter is much much longer than any of the other ones, so hopefully that makes up for it a bit. **

**Seocond, and this is the importsant part. I made a choice in this chapter to include a bit of genderbending. I have nothing against Yaoi or anything, I just thought that this fit better if Norway was a girl. He is the only one who is genderbent. If you hate it, let me know, but I likeed the way it turned out.**

**Enjoy!**

Copenhagen, Denmark

_Norge noticed that I was feeling a little down, and that I didn't want to talk about it, so she bought me a journal. If it had been any other day, especially if it had happened any time over seven years ago, I would have laughed and rejected the journal. However, today was special and I really don't have many people to talk to. My family doesn't even remember that we were always family. Occasionally, I will call up Prussia and Hungary, or England, or America, or even his brother, Matthew. But they all have someone they consider family they can share with when the memories of nationhood get to be too much. The people who remember being a nation are my friends, not my family._

_All those years ago, when we were deciding whether or not to keep our memories, all of the other Nordic nations wanted to forget. I, on the other hand, was unwilling to let go of all of the great memories I had of the thousands of years I was alive. Even if that meant bearing the not so good memories too. And even if it isn't easy all the time, let me tell you right now that I don't regret that one bit. Anyway, as to why I am righting in this journal, today was Maddie's first day of school. I decided that I better document what has happened in my life since the day everything changed. My life "before" is documented in history books, the entire existence of the Kingdom of Denmark is written down... But there is no record of the life of _Mathias_ yet. _

_ Today, I looked down at my daughter, happily holding her backpack as she walks into the class room. My little baby is growing up. This of course makes my think of my life since it happened. It has been seven years since I have left my old life as the great nation of Denmark, and four years since I married Norge. When she chose to lose her memories, I was afraid that we would never see each other again, but we met again a few months after it happened in a little cafe in Copenhagen. Honestly, it was all coincidence, or maybe fate, I don't know. But I think it best to start from the very beginning. _

_ When I woke up the day after, I realized that I have no clue what to do with my life. I woke up in a lovely two bedroom apartment with a terrace looking out over a large park. The apartment was clean, with everything I needed already in it's place. I had clothing in the closet, food in the fridge, and the flowers on the terrace were even flourishing with pink and red and orange and blue petals. Everything was quite. Honestly, I didn't know what to do. You wake up one day with a new life and no one to share it with... In all my years I had never felt so lost. _

_It occurred to me that I could go try to meet people, after all, lives are built around relationships. However, I didn't feel like talking to anyone quite yet, I felt alone, and none of the people who would make me feel better even remembered who I was. Not Norway, not Finland, not Iceland... hell, I would have been happy if even Sweden remembered me. But they didn't, and I had to learn to live with that. _

_After a I spent a few more minute moping around, I grabbed my football off the shelf and went to the park. I was just dribbling around for a little while when a man came up and asked if I wanted to play one on one. We did and I beat him by one point. As it turns out, I was unknowingly playing with the coach of the pro-football team of danish men. He requested that I come tryout for the team, so, on a whim, I did. I tried out and I was offered a job, so I took it. It was quite the stroke of luck for me. _

_ I took the job and for about three months, I built up a routine around this new life. Early in the mornings, I would go to practice or play in games or whatever the team was doing that day, go home, take a shower, and go spend my evenings at a coffee shop down the street with a good book. I became quite a reader after I lost the whole immortality thing. My life was suddenly so limited, that I learned to live vicariously through the stories I read. Quite a laugh for me when my team mate, and now close friend, Danny, recommended Matthew's (Who used to be Canada) books to me. _

_Anyway, after a match one day, I went to my regular cafe to have some coffee. I was feeling a little nostalgic, so I was reading one of Matthew's books. The part with me and the other Nordics in it, of course. It was all normal, except there was a new person in the shop. At one point, I got up to get another coffee, and guess who was sitting by the window! None other then Norge. I hadn't seen her since the day it happened, and I honestly thought I would never see her again. _

_I was about to go up to her and say hello, when I remembered that she... she wouldn't even remember me. She still doesn't, not really. And it still hurts sometimes. Anyway, back then, I was trying to think of a way to approach her, when she got up to go to the bathroom. I had a piece of paper with me, so I left her a note at her table asking if she would let me buy her a drink. She came back, saw the note, and glanced over at me. She looked me over quizzically, and then she walked over. She let me buy her a drink "only because I reminded her of someone she used to know." _

_We had a nice conversation, small talk, until I asked who I reminded her of, just to see what she would say. She told me that, three months ago, she, her two brothers, and her brother's fiancé, woke up in the hospital with severe amnesia after a bad accident. The only thing they remembered was each other. Sometimes she would see something and it would give her a little flash of the past. Nothing really intelligible, but it was still there. She felt the same thing when she saw me. I then did one of the hardest things I have ever done, I told her I had never before seen her in my life. _

_Fortunately, I had matured in those three months, so this new Norway, now with the name Sylvi (I still call her Norge though), wasn't as annoyed as she used to get with me. I don't think she would have stuck around otherwise. Anyway, long story short, we exchanged numbers, hung out hundreds of times over the course of several months, became very close friends, started dating, dated for a while and about a year and a half after, I proposed. She excepted, and we got married and had a kid. Adorable little thing named Maddie. Like I said, it is her first day of school today. She is three years old, starting preschool. _

_It seems strange, that after hundreds of years of only occasional change, everything could change so much in just seven years. 2,555 days. I have gained so much, but not before losing everything. I lost my home, my family, my way of life..._

_I remember that day I "met" Norge's family. We had gone over to her house to watch a movie, and she asked all of her brothers to get out of the house for a little while. We finished the movie, and we were baking cookies when her brothers and her brother's fiancé walked in. At the time, we had just gone from close friends to dating. They walked in on me kissing her while she sat on the counter with the cookie dough sitting in a bowl between us. As if that wasn't awkward enough, I almost started crying when they stepped up, one by one, and introduced themselves as though they had never met me before. Iceland was now going by the name Ian, Finland introduced himself as Finny (I had to smile at that one, and he will never know why), and Sweden is now Sve (Merited another crooked smile). Sve presented himself as Finny's fiancé, and I could see the entire family watch for my reaction to their sexual orientation. Obviously, I was expecting it, so I just told them congratulations on the marriage and introduced myself. The amnesiac family all agreed that I reminded them of someone they used to know. I told them I must have a common face._

_Even now, being close to them again after marrying Norge, I still feel very alone. I live with my family, and I have hundreds of years of memories of them, but they only have a few years of me. I can't share with them all of the painful memories that bear down on me sometimes. I can't laugh with them when reminiscing of times when we had fun together. And now, if anyone reads this, they are wondering why I said I don't regret keeping my memories. I keep talking about all of the hurt it brings, so why don't I wish I had forgotten. I will tell you. _

_After Sve married Finland and I married Norge and Iceland married his own, fully human girl, Svana, we became a very tight-knit family unit. We fought less then we ever had as nations, we felt more like a family than ever before, as we were allowed to settle down. Hell, we even live in this huge house together. _

_This is what makes remembering worth the pain. We have this incredible relationship as a family, and I know that I am the only one who appreciates its real value, because I am the only one who remembers what it was like when we weren't allowed to have this kind of deep connection with each other. And it makes it all the more fantastic for me. I also have the knowledge of hundreds of years beyond what they will ever know, and I am able to share the wisdom that brings with them._

_I love my life. I have my beautiful wife and my beautiful daughter that I would not trade for the world. I have my job which consists of playing a game for my career. I am happy most of the time, despite my difficulties in the beginning. I will admit, though, that sometimes I miss living the glorious life of a nation. I had an adventurous life, I did great things, but sometimes I think that it is okay to leave while you are still having fun. Eventually, I would have gotten tired, and I would have been left with all of these negative feeling towards nationhood. In many ways I am sad it is over, but at least I have several fond memories to go along with the memories of the war and the death and the pain. _

_So, there is my life up to the present. The life of the great Matthias Kølher, left-overs of the Danish Kingdom._

Matthias, who was once Denmark, closed the journal and held it in his hands a moment, wondering where to put it. He considered one place for a long time, _could he go up there again?,_ before deciding that, yes, he could, and walking up to the Attic and opening up a locked little room. No one else in the house knew the hidden door was even there. Denmark hadn't been into this room in years. Walking into the room, Matthias paused for a moment and looked around.

There was a chest in the corner, which Matthias knew was filled with paraphernalia from his years as a nation as well as the old uniforms of his adopted family, three in different shades of blue and one in dark brown and white. On a horizontal railing against one of the walls, there was a black trench coat of sorts hanging over a red shirt and red pants with black boots sitting below the outfit. An enormous battle axe was leaning up against a shelf.

The tall blond man set the journal down on the shelf, and walked up to the black and red outfit hanging together. His blue eyes watered a little bit as his callused hand reached out to touch the fabric. It had been years since he had touched it, even longer since he had worn it. He ran the same hand over his axe, whispering, "We had a long, good run, my friend. Thank you for that." He smiled to myself, and continued muttering jokingly, but also a bit wistfully, "Maybe one day, I will find reason to carry you again. Until then..." He turned around and walked out, closing the door behind him. But for some reason, it didn't close with the feeling of finality he expected it would.

**Foreshadowing? Perhaps.**

**Read and Review, please!**


	6. Chapter 5

**A/N: My deepest apologies for the wait. I don't think this is as good as the last chapter, but I hope you still enjoy. Leve a review if you liked it. Or of you didn't. But if you didn't, you have to tell me what I can do better, that is the condition. Hope you like it!**

Budapest, Hungary

"Eliza! The great and awesome Glibert is going to work now!" Glibert, who was once the great nation of Prussia, called into the large house.

There was a surprised noise from the room at the end of the hall to his left. Elizaveta, who was once Hungary, poked her head out the door of the Master bedroom, her silky brown hair almost up, held in a half-pony-tail by her hand.

"You got a job?" She asked incredulously.

Gilbert looked at her quizzically, "Liz, I have had this job for four years…"

She finished tying up her hair, then walked down the hall to meet him, her light green sundress swishing around her legs, "Oh, I know, I am still in shock."

Gilbert looked mildly offended, "What! I raised Lud, I can deal with kids!"

"Yeah, but now you are teaching them. Infecting their minds at such a young age!"

"Kindergardeners are cute. Ludwig was cute back then too."

"Did I hear my name?" said another voice from down the hall. Gilbert's younger brother, Ludwig, who was once Germany, brushed his blond hair back as he walked down a hall opposite from the one by which Eliza stood.

"Woah, Lutz, did you just wake up? Are you okay? You sick?" Gilbert looked at his brother.

"I'm fine, I'm fine. Stop touching me!" He raised his voice as Gil put a cold hand on his forehead. Ludwig sighed, "I was just up late last night talking to Feliciano. I ended up getting a major headache. Still hurts a bit."

"Why don't you stay home from work today, then? The company can survive one day without its big intimidating CEO."

Ludwig, who used to be Germany, remembers nothing of his days as a nation, so he has no memory of the way things fall apart when he is not present. However, the natural instinct was still there. If he didn't go to work, who knows what would happen.

"No, no, I must go to work. I-"

"You will stay home," Elizaveta commanded.

Ludwig smiled meekly, "Yes ma'am."

Gilbert smiled at his wife's intimidation, "Gut then. I am going to work. Eliza, will you accompany me to the train station?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~LINE BREAK~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Gilbert and Elizaveta walked out of the elegant oak doors of the house they shared with Ludwig, Feliciano, Antonio, and Lovino. Gilbert, Elizaveta, and Romano are the only ones who remember what existed before. They still hadn't figured out why they were all thrown together into one house all those years ago. Let alone why in Hungary (She was still very proud of that).

The walk from the house to the train station was only a couple blocks. It was pleasantly warm in the early morning light of a mid-May day. Gilbert and Elizaveta walked in silence for a few moments, hand in hand.

"Do you ever miss it?" Elizaveta broke the silence.

Gilbert looked over at her through the corner of his crimson eye, "What do you mean?" He asked, even though he knew the answer perfectly well.

"Gilbert Beilshmit, do not be like that." She pinched her lips together as she scowled at him.

He sighed, "Yeah. Yeah, I suppose I do sometimes." He paused, "A lot of the time. Being a nation was great fun, honestly. It was even better not being a nation. By the time Prussia was dissolved into Germany, I had been around for a long time. I had my conquests, my victories, even my share of losses. I was tired, ready to stop. A lot of us were. I was the only one who was lucky enough to get the opportunity. When I lost my title as a country, I stayed around, only because I had the will power to stick around. But here is the thing about that, I was not a nation, so I didn't have any responsibilities, except for normal, human ones, like taking care of Ludwig or you, but I still couldn't die. It was awesome."

Elizaveta smiled at the use of his favorite word. Then she asked him, "So, what about being human?"

He laughed and grabbed her waist, pulling her into his side, "Well, I like it because now _you _don't have any responsibilities either."

She giggled a bit. They walked in a comfortable silence for a little while. The train station appeared as the two of them rounded the corner. Gilbert spoke animatedly about what he intend to do with his kindergarden class until the train came noisily rolling on to the platform. He kissed he good-bye and turned around to board the train, only to have Elizaveta grasp his wrist and turn him around again.

"By the way, I am pregnant." She said, and then she turned around and walked away, leaving Gilbert to nearly miss his train as he stood frozen in shock.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~LINE BREAK~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ludwig, always a man of his word, stayed home from work that day. He laid upon his bed for hours, trying to sleep, with little success. He dozed off every once in a little while, but never for more than a few minutes. Elizaveta came in every few hours, asking if he needed anything.

Around noon, Ludwig heard the door slam downstairs. He tried to stay laying down, as he did not think that walking around would help his massive migraine, but his curiosity go the better of him. No one should be coming home right now.

He poked his head out the door, but saw no one. He continued walking, and didn't encounter anyone until he reached the den downstairs. When he got there though, he was surprised to see what he did.

Antonio and Lovino were both lying on the couch, looking horridly unwell. When Elizaveta came in from the kitchen and saw him leaning against the wall for support, she informed him, "They just came in from work. Both left the tomato farm early due to massive headaches of their own. I wonder if a bug is going around. You, sir, should get back upstairs though, and rest."

"But-"

"Now."

Ludwig made his way back upstairs. When he did, he finally managed to sleep, but his sleep was not restful. He dreamed. He saw images of himself, but they were not quite him. Not the calm CEO that he was today. This man had the same determined face, but his eyes showed age and wisdom and pain beyond anything he had experienced himself. He saw flashes of events in history, as if he were there watching them. The vividness was terrifying.

He woke up in a sweat. What a strange dream. At least that was what he told himself, and he tried not to acknowledge the part of his mind that was screaming that it was something else.

Little did he know that in different parts of the house, at the same time, Lovino, Antonio, and Feliciano were waking up from similar dreams, with the same sense of uneasiness tugging in their gut.

**Oh no, what is happening? What could these headaches possibly mean? **

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	7. Chapter 6

_**A/N: Hello Dear Friends! I first would like to apologize for the time it has taken me to get this written and posted, but thank you for your patience. Second, thank you so much to everyone who reviewed! I really appreciate it! So, here is the next chapter. Read and leave a review if you have time! I love to hear your feed back! **_

_**Enjoy!**_

_**And so it begins.**_

One Week Later

_**London, England**_

"Peter, are you feeling alright?"

"Dad, I feel like my head is splitting open and I keep getting these flashes that don't make any sense. I mean, I feel like it could be my past coming back, like the doctor said it might, except for the fact that _I wasn't alive during World War Two." _He took a deep breath, rubbing his head and flopping back on his blue duvet, "So, no, I am not okay."

"Did you just say World War Two?" Arthur's voice was flat. But it was not the I-Don't-Really-Care flat, it was defiantly the I-Am-Trying-To-Hide-The-Fact-That-I-Am-Scared-Out-Of-My-Wits flat.

"Yeah, it's really weird. I keep getting this one series of images in my head. I am standing off the coast of the UK and these bomber planes fly over my head and I know they are headed to London, and then I run inside looking for a phone." Peter describes.

The first bombing of the London Blitz. Sealand saw it first, being on the eastern seaboard of the UK. He paid England a frantic phone call as soon as he noticed them.

Arthur was most certainly panicking now. Trying to keep his voice steady, he tells the young boy, "Peter, stay here, rest. I have to make some phone calls."

_**New York, New York**_

Alfred was woken by the sound of the phone. He had to got to work today, so he was, understandably, less than pleased to be woken up at two thirty in the morning.

"Arthur, you woke me up on a work night. This better be good." He complained.

Al heard Arthur snot on the other end, "Oh, this is anything but good, little brother."

To say that Alfred was surprised would be an enormous understatement. It had been centuries since Arthur had called him that, and even then, it was only when he was seriously worried about something. Alfred sat up in his bed, swinging his legs over the edge before responding, "Arthur, what is going on?"

Arthur sighed, and Alfred could almost seeing him rubbing his forehead in worry, "Peter is starting to remember."

Alfred was silent for a moment, processing, "What?"

"Yes."

"Matthew! Wake up and get your ass in here!" Alfred yelled. A moment later, Matthew rushed into his room, pulling a t-shirt over his bare torso, his hair sticking up and his maple leaf pajama pants wrinkled from fitful sleep.

"What on earth...!?"

"Peter is starting to remember!"

"What!"

Arthur cleared his throat. "Oh yeah," said Alfred, "I am on the phone with Arthur now," he told Matthew.

Matthew reached out his hand, "Let me talk to him."

As Alfred handed the phone over, he pulled out his computer, intending to see if he could get in touch with any of the other nations. He opened up his web browser and almost fell off his bed in shock. There on the front page of the website were two pictures that made Alfred nauseous.

The pictures were from just after the Tehran Conference in 1943 and the United Nations Summit of 1997. The main subjects of the first picture were Winston Churchill and Franklin D. Roosevelt, shaking hands. The second was Tony Blair, the prime minister of England in 1997, and Bill Clinton, the president of the United States at the time, shaking hands in a similar manner. However, that was not what the web article focused on. There were two red circles on each picture, one around Alfred's face and one around Arthur's in each.

Under the picture read, _Two men who appear in pictures taken 50 years apart. Other people appearing in similar manners. They are authentic, hard-copy photos, so who are these mysterious people. Before the boarders were dissolved nearly eight years ago, what didn't we know about our country? Click to read more. _

Upon reading this, Alfred hit Matthew on the leg. He was standing by Al's bedside, still talking to Arthur.

"What is it?" Matthew asked when he saw Alfred's pale face. Al pointed to the screen. "Oh my god," whispered Matthew in horror. He clicked on the article. More picture sprung up, pictures of everyone. Everyone. Russia and the rest of the former Soviet Union, the Nordics, the Asian nations, The European Union. _Everyone._

"What is it?" Arthur said from the other end, "Matthew? Alfred? What are you looking at."

Matthew cleared his throat and found his voice again. He copied the link and open up his email as he told Arthur, "Go check your email, I am sending you the article."

As they waited for Arthur to respond, Alfred read the article.

_Information from an anonymous source tells us that these men and women were literally the life force of our nations before they were dissolved. We talked to Shannon Samuels, a PhD in biology and life science. We asked her whether these claims were even possible. "No, it shouldn't be possible," she told us, "but I have seen these pictures in their hard copy. They are authentic. And that shouldn't be possible either. It is quite the anomaly, no?" _

"Oh dear god." Matthew heard from the phone still pressed up against his ear. He put it on speaker and set it down on the bed.

"Yeah," Al acknowledged. He continued, "What I don't understand is how they even figured out what we were."

"Doesn't really matter, does it? They know," muttered Matthew, "I think the more important question is whether or not this has anything to do with Peter's memory."

Arthur sighed loudly, "It seems to big of a coincidence to have no correlation, does it not?"

"Alright," declared Alfred, "Here is what we are going to do. Arthur, it is around seven thirty over there, right? Keep Peter home from school, don't let him leave the house and if he starts to remember anything else, shoot us a text. Just tale care of him from the time being. Matthew and I are going to go make a list of who should still remember and who has connections to those who don't see what their deal is. We will report back after we make those calls. From there we will figure out what our next move is."

Arthur, mildly surprised to see Alfred take the lea so easily, responded, "Yeah, sure. I will talk to you soon." And he hung up.

Alfred turned to Matthew, "I will take Europe, you take Asia."

"Yessir." Matthew mock saluted.

Alfred picked up his phone again, dialing and listening to the ringing before he heard someone pick up. "Hello?"

"Hey, Matthias?" Asked Alfred.

He heard sound of relief from the other end, "Oh Al! I am so glad you called. We need to talk..."

**To be continued.**

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	8. Chapter 7

**A/N: New Chapter! Yay! Finally got this up. I am procrastinating. So lately, there has been a lot of dialogue in my chapters, and I was kind of wondering what you thought of that...? Let me know. There is one very long dialogue and the end of this chapter that I have just lots of fun writing. I don't normally do that much dialogue all in one chunk. It was different. So tell me what you think. Read and Review! **

**Enjoy!**

**Copenhagen, Denmark**

When Matthias got up this morning, the last thing he expected was to find every single one of his family members lying in their beds with inexplicable headaches. At first, he thought perhaps they had all caught a bug. Like the flu or something. Matthias was never very good at the whole... first-aid thing, but he did his best for the other four. Advil,cold wash cloths, warm soup, the works.

Matthias was sure everything was going to be fine, until, a few hours later, he was sitting on the side of his bed where Norge was lying. She looked up at him and said, "I didn't know you knew how to swing a battle-axe."

Mattias froze, his heart pounding furiously against his chest. "Excuse me?" he choked. It sounded strangled, even to his own ears.

Svana clutched her head in pain, "I just have this picture in my head. You are swinging a battle axe at someone else holding an early medieval _spatha_."

"That is awfully specific, 'an early medieval _spatha.'_ Isn't that a viking sword? Even if you saw it, how did you recognize it?" Matthias tried to sound light, despite his mind moving a million miles a minute. She was clearly remembering something. Probably some spat between he and Sweden. But how? Why? And why now, after seven years of nothing.

"I don't know how I knew, I just did!" Svana cried frustratedly, "Goddam it my head hurts!"

Matthias needed to get out. He needed to think, and he couldn't do it here. He leaned down to place a quick kiss on Norge's lips, before he walked out of the room with some vague excuse about going to the drug store before walking out of the house. He called a good friend of his from the football team to play babysitter for his family before walking into town to his regular coffee shoppe.

Diana, the regular barista, called as soon as he walked in, "Hi Matt! The Usual?"

Matthias gave her a week smile, "That would be great Diana, thank you."

He waited for his coffee in the small local cafe, before sitting down in a large leather chair to the side of the television set up against the back wall. There were a few people he recognized as other regular customers of the cafe, watching the news. He didn't really pay attention to what was on as he sat down. His phone rang. Glancing at the caller ID, he accepted the call, placing the phone against his ear as he gazed out the window to his right.

"Matthias speaking."

"Hey Denny! It is Al."

"I am so glad you called, Alfred. We need to talk!" Said Matthias in relief.

"You bet we do. How are Noway and Co?"

Matthias shook his head, before responding, "Not well. They all have these horrendous headaches, and Svana said something this morning that is making me nervous. She said she remembers seeing me swing _Varig_."

Al gave a bit of a humorless laugh, "Of all the things to remember, she remembers your axe."

That was not the shocked response Matthias expected, "Do you know something about the memories already?" He asked.

"Yeah, Arthur called us about Peter. He is starting to remember World War Two. I have a theory why this is happening too. Have you seen the new?" replied Alfred. There was something in his tone that gave him the hunch that he would not like what he would see if he were to look at the news.

"Hey Al, I am in the cafe right now, I can check the news when I get home and call you back."

"Matthias, is there not a TV in your usual cafe?" Al's voice was patent, but teasing nonetheless, "Isn't it normally playing the news. Take a look around, man."

_Right, the TV. I didn't realize just how out of it I was... _Matthias did look around then, and he was very confused. Everyone was looking at him. Not inconspicuously either, outright staring. Then he got up to look at the TV that was beside him.

"Oh. Shit." Matthias said into the phone.

"Yeah."

On the screen, was a picture of all of the countries standing with their leaders outside the UN at its inception in 1945, and then again, a picture from around ten years ago. Denmark stood there for... he did not know how long. He watched as pictures of all of his friends and family flashed across the screen.

"No one knows their exact locations," said the new anchor. "We do not know the extent of their power over the nations before the Unification seven years ago. More on this when we come back."

"Matt? Er... Denmark?" asked Diana from behind the counter.

Matthias turned to her and tried to smile. It became more of a grimace. He spoke first into the phone, "Hey, America, I will call you back." He hung up after hearing a noise of agreement. Then he spoke to her, "It's okay, you know," he said. "You can still call me Matthias. It isn't like I am Denmark anymore. It was a different lifetime."

Alistair, a man Matthias knew from around town, stood up, "What are you?" He hissed. "You aren't natural. You were just on the phone with another one of you, weren't you? I can't believe you pretend to be human. You probably haven't aged it thousands of years! Just how old are you!? Get out of here!"

"Hey!" This came from Rich, another local. "Matthias has been nothing but a proper young man since he came to this town! You have no right to be so rude!"

Matthias needed to leave. He needed to get out now. "It's okay, Rich. I appreciate it, but I gotta go anyway." And then he ran. _This is defiantly not good. _

When Matthias got back home, he found Svana and the rest he left home huddled around the computer. Of course, they were looking at the news. He walked up to the laptop and slammed it closed. It was by mere fortune that he didn't break it.

Everyone was silent for a moment. Matthias felt the disbelieving stares of each and everyone of them on him. Especially Sam, the friend he had called to look after them, and Dominique, Iceland's (fully human) wife, looked absolutely incredulous.

Iceland- Ian, took a step towards Matthias, "You do not look nearly confused enough," He stated.

"No." Matthias responded.

"And why is that?" The question sounded threatening.

Svana laid a hand on Ian's shoulder, "Hey, stand down, little brother, if none of us knew, he couldn't have. We met by shear coincidence in that cafe all those years ago. He didn't even know who I was, remember? We do not remember being nations, and I am sure he does not either." She turned to him with complete conviction that this was true, "Right?"

Matthias did not answer. He looked down.

"...right?" She sounded much less confident now. When he still did not answer, her voice hardened. She said sternly, "Matthias."

"You chose," was all he said at first. His voice was soft and thick. When they did not respond, he continued, still not looking up. "We all chose. When the unification occurred seven years ago, we were all given a choice: to remember everything as we move into our human life, or to start with a clean slate. I was the only one of the Nordic Five who chose to remember. You all forgot, and I was alone." He blinked back some moister as he recalled his loneliness.

It was silent for a moment, "The Nordic Five?"

It was not the question he was expecting, and it surprised him enough to look up at Finny, who had asked. A nostalgic smile crossed his face, "Yeah." He said. "I think it was the Netherlands who first came up with the name, actually. I don't know, it just stuck." The smile slipped off his face. "I am sorry. I was not allowed to tell you. I do not know what will happen now. You were never supposed to remember."

The conversation that followed was long and emotionally charged. The four who forgot were confused and saddened and a little angry and the only one who remembered was nostalgic and worried and, for the first time in years, feeling very isolated. Eventually, the three boys decided that they understood his position on the matter and took to their rooms in pairs. Dominique had listened the entire time in quite awe. Sam had chosen to leave a little while ago. Only Denmark and Svana remained in the sitting room.

"You knew me before." She stated with little emotion in her voice.

"I did," he replied.

This was the nature of their conversations together. Very straightforward. They both liked it that way.

"Were we... involved? Before I mean."

"We were not... Why do you ask?"

"... Because I would feel even worse if I left you alone and we were involved... Why did you sound like that when you responded?"

"Like what?"

"Detached."

"Because I always wanted to, but could not bring myself to ask you."

"Matthias..."

"Yes."

"It was not a lucky guess that you decided we were going to watch Pride and Prejudice on our first date at your house."

He laughed, "Indeed it was not."

"You knew it was my favorite."

"I did."

"...Cheater."

He laughed aloud. She smiled lightly, and he knew, that whatever was going on, it was going to be fine. Because he had her and she had him. He kissed her.

Ian's voice was ignored when it came, "Ewww. Can't a man get a drink of water in peace?"

**So yeah, I had a lot of fun writing that little fluffy dialogue at the end there. **

**Leave a review if you have time!**


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